tion into Portuguese was John Hayes, vet-
eran missionary to Brazil.
These initial chaplaincy training semi-
nars in Brazil followed years of training
throughout other parts of South Ameri-
ca—Chile, Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay,
Bolivia, and Ecuador. A seminar recently
in Montevideo, Uruguay, with 144 stu-
dents resulted in a national chaplaincy
coordinator and national chaplaincy
board being established. Of note, the
Uruguayan national chaplaincy coordina-
tor is an officer with the national police
force and president of the Uruguayan
Chapter of Uniformed Christians—a
Christian association of law-enforcement
officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, and
the military.
With the foundation laid by these
basic chaplaincy training seminars, plans
are now under way for specialized chap-
laincy courses dealing with domestic vio-
lence, disaster relief operations, law-
enforcement and correctional chaplaincy,
Breaking New Ground in Brazil
F
OR 15 YEARS the Church of God laincy coordinator appointed by each and campus chaplaincy ministries.
Chaplains Commission has been national/regional overseer. Chaplain “The people of South America are
doing international chaplaincy Stockard will then work directly with hungry for this kind of ministry, given
training in Europe, Asia, Africa, South each chaplaincy coordinator. the amount of suffering and hardship
America, the Caribbean, and Canada. In March 2009, Brazil’s first chaplains that exists in these countries,” says Chap-
Most recently, the commission has taken training course for pastors, ministers, key lain Stockard. His wife, Rhonda, is the
its training into Brazil, the fifth-largest lay leaders, and seminary students was founder of the Sunrise Educational Cen-
country in the world with a population taught in Goiânia, with 128 students ter in Asunción, Paraguay, dedicated
nearing 190 million.
The door into this vast country was “THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH AMERICA ARE
opened through the relationship between
HUNGRY FOR THIS KIND OF MINISTRY,
Chaplains Commission Director Robert
Crick and Paul Stockard, longtime mis-
GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF SUFFERING AND
sionary to South America. This continent
HARDSHIP THAT EXISTS IN THESE COUN-
had long been open to chaplaincy min-
istries, but finally circumstances and hard
TRIES.” —PAUL STOCKARD
work combined to bring Brazil into the attending. With a metropolitan popula- exclusively for the desperately poor chil-
area of formal training and certification. tion of some 2 million, Goiânia is home dren who come from living in the city’s
This year marks the 16th year of mis- to the Church of God Brazilian Seminary. garbage dump.
sionary service in South America for The following week, Doc Williams, “I am thrilled at the boundless min-
Stockard. With his recent appointment chaplaincy training coordinator for the istry opportunities in the huge country of
by the Church of God as (1) the chaplain- Chaplains Commission, joined Paul Brazil and throughout South America,”
cy coordinator for South America and Stockard for the second training seminar. Chaplain Stockard states. “Chaplaincy is
Africa and (2) the field chaplain for mis- It was held in Santarém, a bustling river- a way of coming directly to the people,
sionaries, he will work with national and port city of 200,000, some 500 miles up meeting them at the point of their need,
regional overseers to establish national/ the Amazon River. The course was attend- and making Christ relevant to their daily
regional chaplaincy boards and a chap- ed by 98 students. Providing the transla- lives.”
EVANGEL • AUG 2009 19
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